He: Looks polished and put together, which is no surprise. Premiere of his wife’s new cable mini-series? Dress like a mechanic. Dinner honoring himself? Dress like a movie star. Granted, it’s a little difficult to screw up the formal black suit with black tie. We’d sniff at the askew tie, but it’s probably just a momentary thing due to posing. We’re sure he primped himself right back to perfection the first chance he got. And speaking of primping, the one thing that’s going to get us to subtract points from this near-perfect look is that ridiculous hair on top of his head. Aging gentlemen, here’s a little tip from us: women can continue to dye their hair brown well into their 60s and even their 70s. Men can’t really get away with it by the time they’re 50. You know why? Makeup. Women can color and contour their face and men can’t. So a man whose face is succumbing to time and gravity sporting an incongruously dark mop of hair on top only winds up looking older than if he’d just allowed the grey to take over. Cruise never really did it for us, but he would be so much more attractive if he’s just let his hair go Clooney. Score: 8/10.

She: We really don’t understand this dress. The basic proportions and silhouette are fine; it’s the detailing that’s weird. Who would want to put a bright green, focus-pulling strip of satin around their waist? What’s with the weird, ruffled placket running down the front? Two details that ruined a perfectly good dress. Two details that look like they were ripped off other dresses and stapled onto this one. Hair and makeup look good, and we like the accessories. Score: 7/10.

Combined score: 7.5/10, which is pretty good. Cruise: do something about the hair, we implore you.

Looks polished and put together” I disagree – his hair – and not just the color – a train wreck. simply awful. Don’t know if the hair is having an effect, but his jaw and the lower half of his face is unusually square looking in these pics.

I wanted to like the details on her dress, because I like that shade of green and lingerie influences, but I agree those details don’t work here. Her makeup looks good though. And his hem looks decent.

She LOOKS pregnant. Don’t know, don’t care about rumors or truth on that one. Still the odd sash/placket/wtf draws the eye right to her midsection, which generally isn’t where most women want the eye drawn. I think he looks waxy and terrible as always, and I think his hair alone should give him a FAR lower score. That hair is an effing catastrophe and looks – oh jesus. It’s like a hairstyle from the “men who look like old lesbians” (http://dft.ba/-pt8). I have hated Tom Cruise my entire life, and he’s getting even worse with age. ugh. Suit’s okay, I guess, but I cannot get past that hideous, hideous hair.

Honestly, women can’t really get by with it either unless they know what they’re doing or have a colorist who does. Once your face starts showing significant signs of aging, you have to tone down the color — if it was nearly black naturally before, you go down to just dark brown, if it was dark brown you go down to medium, etc. And women can pull off virtually any color job better. When you know a man colors his hair, it looks like he’s trying to stay young. When you know a woman colors her hair, you know that she likes to color her hair, as long as she does it with the right attitude.

My husband is starting to go gray now, and if he tried to hide it, he would look silly. I, OTOH, will never know if I’ve started to go gray because I haven’t seen my hair uncolored since I was 14… so it’ll never look like I’m trying to disguise anything.

Lulu

You’re absolutely right. I’m 40 and my greys are coming in faster and faster by the day. I can’t deal with the maintenance (grey roots every 2 weeks), so I just have my hairdresser throw in some honey highlights (natural color medium brown) and let it all blend in with the greys. Low maintenance, looks great and I have gotten so many compliments, especially from men!

Nice Heels Katie! Work being taller than your man. (Though she just destroyed any remote possibility that I could ever find Tom Cruise attractive. I’m sorry but you must be this tall to uhh… ride.)

Anonymous

You guys are dead on about Mr. Cruise. Dude, you’re almost 50. I subtract 2 points for the too-dark-looking dye job and another .5 for the tousled boyish style – dude, you’re almost 50. The style might (MIGHT) work if the hair were salt & pepper. Then, subtract another .5 for the fact that he annoys me deeply.

Won’t argue with her 7.

So an even 7/10 for the pair of ’em.

BTW. I will, with utter JOY quit dying my hair the instant “ruggedly attractive” becomes a descriptor applied, with all sincerity, to the 45+ year old female face.

Men, make hay of the what advantages society grants you. Not that it makes up for the limited range of male formal dress, I’ll grant you.

ask

Years ago when I was 28 to 32, I worked with a woman who was maybe a year older than I – she was totally gray (well I guess it could be described as slightly salt and pepper). Her hair was gorgeous; she had been gray since her late teens/early 20’s.

My hair does the strangest things – it started with a few pure white kind of wire-y hairs, then a few black ones (my natural color had been a slightly reddish medium brown, and my hair very fine and thin). When I lost a bunch of weight on a high-protein/low carb diet, a lot of my hair fell out (looks great seeing your scalp through your hair). Then it became dark brown – even worse against a white/white scalp. Now the gray comes in like highlights.

I think it would be so much easier to be All gray. Easier to deal with; without the roots and contrast.

Some friends of my brother went gray in their early 30’s – so much better to embrace it (if it comes in well).

jessamyn

Maybe Cruise has some kind of Dorian Grey thing going on…but instead of a picture in his attic, it’s Katie’s body he’s distorting. I mean, look at that hand gripping the clutch purse – it looks older than mine, and I have ten years on her!

Anonymous

dude, you’re snarking on her haaand? how viscious. as if she doesn’t have enough stress over her body as it is…

Anonymous

He annoys the crap out of me just by his very existence. He always has. She looks like a robot. And she looks like she popped a vicodin in the limo with a scotch chaser. I would score them closer to a combined 4.5-5.0

Suzanne

They are so tiresome. At least the tot wasn’t in attendance.

Anonymous

yes, the “fashion icon” all 5-year olds should strive to impersonate: high heels and lipstick. Not for my kid!

Anonymous

Katie Holmes looks good here, though I agree about the weird details on this dress. She looks particularly pretty when you compare her to Tom Cruise, who looks awful. I think you’re right about the hair–a cut and some salt and pepper would be an improvement.

mjude

what is with his hair. it looks awful!

MilaXX

agreed, he’s too old for the long & shaggy

Vince

Tom’s hair color is just fine. It’s the style that looks odd.

tom

Ugh, that horrible ruffle strip ending right at her lady parts is so unflattering. And I agree, the hair looks bad on him but I say it is more a bad cut than color. He is a little long in the tooth for a shaggy head unless he is working as a bartender on a carribean island.

Londonpenguin

Is it just me, or does Katie always look sedated? Also, every time I see Tom Cruise now, I think, “Hey, Luke Wilson!”

Guest

What’s with that smirk of hers?

Anna Vasquez

Tom Cruise has what I call “Asshole Face.” Meaning, however he actually is as a person, his face makes him look like an asshole. Gordon Ramsay also has AF, and it’s not just because he plays one on TV. Sometimes Christian Bale.

Anonymous

His hair is totally hair club for men. I agree he would look so much better if he let it pepper with grey.

Her, I don’t get the sash UNDER the weird ruffles. It makes it look so bizarre to me.

Her dress looks just like one I wore to Winter Formal my Senior year of high school.

bookish

The black and green pairing makes her look like the Witch of the West out on the town. (Not that I’m always against that color pairing, it just looks weird here.)

Oli

There is NO excuse for her dress, esp the sash and embellishments. And her makeup looks weird. I do not hate her (him, a whole other story), but she has looked better.

and YES, tom! trim your hair and let a little shabby chic grey into your life! It’s liberating! and makes you more likable (worth a sociological study but true thing)!!

Anonymous

She’s so pretty. The dress isn’t great from the back, but she looks good. I don’t know why people always say she’s smirking. She’s not a big show-the-teeth smiley person, and nobody’s face is symmetrical. It doesn’t mean she’s smirking.

Anonymous

Brooklyn Bomber: I’m feeling kindly toward KH right now because just 20 minutes ago I finished re-watching the movie “Pieces of April,” in which she does a great job. Patricia Clarkson is the main reason to see that terrific little film, but Katie is very touching in it too.

Anonymous

I haven’t seen her in a lot of things, but from what I have seen I think that – unlike a lot of tv stars – she can act.

Anonymous

Yes. I highly recommend “Pieces of April” to anyone who comes from an imperfect family. 😉

It’s always described as “quirky” — but I would add heartfelt and funny…and sad and loving and angry and tender. Plus, OMG, Patricia Clarkson!

Anonymous

I haven’t seen her in a lot of things, but from what I have seen I think that – unlike a lot of tv stars – she can act.

I think her smile does often come off like a smirk, but I don’t think it implies anything bad about her. I think she photographs unfortunately in general — not because she looks like a troll or anything, but I don’t think most shots of her capture how lovely she really is. It seems like photographers frequently catch her halfway between one expression and another; people who move their faces a lot have that happen all the time.

If you just change your mouth when you smile, you’ll usually come off okay in pictures. If you change your whole face — which usually makes for a better smile in person — you get a lot of those halfway shots.

Sara__B

Cruise has one of the least flattering haircuts in all of Hollywood. Add to that the silly hair dye, and 8/10 is too generous. He probably deserves a 6, but I’ll give him a 7 because the suit fits nicely.

Holmes’ dress reminds me of what my creative daughter would do in junior and senior high to change a dance costume into a dress she could wear off stage. Remove all the sparkles and streamers, add a ribbon here and a belt there and tweak the neckline and, voila! a new dress! Maybe Tom has cut her clothing budget…

Seriously, why do you assume his hair is graying? My father’s in his late 60s and has almost no gray hair? You guys have an awful lot of rules regarding what men can and can’t do as they age.

Guest

Are you going to cover the Kentucky Derby hats? That would be so much fun!

MilaXX

From the pics I saw there weren’t many celebs there. Mostly D listers.

Anonymous

They look as if they are going to their anniversary dinner at The Olive Garden before going off to a local production of “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” performed at a local community theatre rather than a prestigeous event. He’s the honoree for God’s sack!

Anonymous

The look as if they’ve just eaten at the Olive Garden and are about to attend a local production of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof rather than a prestigeous event. And he’s the honoree for God’s sack!

stubborntomato

Does nobody else notice something strange going on with the left boob? (Meaning Katie’s actual left boob. Not the boob to the left of Katie.)

Blah

Tom’s face looks contorted. He actually used to have a very attractive face, but the face he currently has is just looking weird. Bad botox/plastic surgery?

She’s very pretty but her hair looks like a hot mess. I don’t understand the trend for awful fried-looking dry hair these days.

Speaking of hair, not all men approaching 50 has grey hair. My dad is approaching his 60s, and he still has full jet-black hair with a tiny bit of greys (and sadly he has a lot wrinkles on his face so I guess he’ll get the “dyed his hair” assumption). My grandfather had full only a-bit-grey hair until the day he passed away. He never had a bold spot. He was 75. My mom on the other hand now has to dye her hair otherwise she looks like she has white bangs.

bookish

My dad is 57 and also still has his thick black hair. His beard is straight white, though, and has been for about 10 years now! I love that he doesn’t do anything with it color-wise.

Anonymous

Amen on the hair. I began greying at the age of 14 – it’s a British thing, apparently, because it comes from my English grandmother and Scottish grandfather – and was totally grey by about 30. I began coloring at 24, because it made me look old. Twenty years later I would look ridiculous with the “it’s jet black, but I’m really not coloring” look Cruise has got going on. Not only is my colorist gradually lightening my color each year – so by age 50 I will have my natural all-white hair and look like Anderson Cooper (I wish!) – but even now when I get it color put on she wipes it off my temples and the side of my head for a very natural salt-and-pepper look.

Len

For the love of Ron L Hubbard, Katie sure looks pregnant! I suppose she had a date with the turkey baster of Xenu.

ann

would also like to argue with the “all older men have gray hair”. my grandpa is 65 and has no gray hair. it’s propably freak genetics, but i’m a 100 % sure he doesn’t dye his hair.

Puggerpete

Sorry I’ve never been a fan of Miss Cruise except for that funny teen movie he made a 100 yrs ago. Refresh my memory, who is she and what has she done? Her dress is ok except as noted that black thing down the front and the stolen leprecaun’ s scarf.

She looks pregnant in that dress…does one spy a baby bump under that weird ruffle??

fashionablylate

I think he might be able to get away with the hair color is if kept his hair shorter, much shorter. Like this, it’s not working. She definitely looks preggo. I give ’em both 7/10.

Noelle

I love the green sash (in the front – the back looks limp), but that ruffle placard thing is terrible.

Sims

Doesn’t anyone realize that he has to grow his hair for Rock of Ages most likely. He has never worn his hair this long before.

Aunt Dee

“So a man whose face is succumbing to time and gravity sporting an
incongruously dark mop of hair on top only winds up looking older than
if he’d just allowed the grey to take over. ”

Great minds, as they say–this was my immediate thought upon seeing the photo, before I ever began reading. ICK! Also, the hair is too long–it sends the”Hey! I’m hip” message, therefore reading as trying too hard. Plus it fights with his facial experience.

Lisa

Two big YES-es that I agree with:
1. The fact that he dresses up for his own event, but not for hers. What a tool!
2. You articulated perfectly why men past a certain age can’t get away with coloring their hair, but women can. It’s one of the advantages we have over them in our older years!

As for the way they look, I LOVE what she’s wearing! Gorgeous! He looks good – the tiniest bit rumpled, but pretty good other than that.

Anonymous

She kinda looks like a pregnant pirate.

Momzilla

I thought she looked preggers, too. It’s the way that ruffle placket (what a mistake) poofs out over her abdomen. That dress makes her limbs look very heavy; that skirt in particular is doing awful things to her calves. And I am not a Katie Holmes Hater.

Hutchlover

Katie deserves a 5 just for the torture she’s putting her poor boobs through. Not to mention the nasty thing on her arm (never, ever like TC, but after his PPD meltdown, he’s dead in my book).

Gail Lannum

What’s with the veins in his forehead??. Looks like he has tree roots growing under his skin

Anonymous

Wait a minute, you think HER hair looks good? I beg to differ, gentlemen. The proverbial “dragged backwards through a hedge” comes to mind.

Anonymous

IShe doesn’t look so bad. In fact, I like the dress sans the odd black vertical ruffle. He just looks weird.

Jrob

D&G veers into cheap territory yet again. That belt looks like the sash on a prom dress.

Lala

These two never look right together. It’s not even about her being taller and having a bigger head. They just always seem to make each other look creepier than they normally are.

What the hell happened to Tom Cruise, I mean, seriously?! That last photo in the gallery will haunt my nightmares tonight. That smile…..is disturbing. Katie Holmes looks good but why does she also always look rueful? I really wish she would write that tell-all memoir already.

Kathleen

Why on earth did you give Katie a 7?! She looks like she picked blindly from Suri’s closet.

Anonymous

Sorry D&G, that dress looks like a high-school, home-ec project. ‘Oh I know Mandy! I’ll put a green ribbon on it to make it look special – get me the hot glue gun!’

MC

He is really not aging well, face or hair. His face looks really odd – seriously stressed out or bad work done?

PatBiswanger

Why would the Simon Weisenthal Center, of all places, be honoring Tom Cruise? I don’t get it.

KT

THANKYOU! I totally don’t get it either.

Caren

It’s not just hair…skin and eyes lighten with age as well. Keeping your hair dark, even if it’s your “real” color is aging. Paul McCartney looks even more ridiculous than Cruise.

Anonymous

He just a few highlights away from a full Keith Urban, and that’s just scary.

Lilithcat

I don’t know why, but I’m a bit creeped out by the Wiesenthal Center honoring a Scientologist.

(P.S. I’m also creeped out by this nonsense that pops up when I type a comment: “Try this! Mention other people by typing @ then his or her name. Tab to
autocomplete. Mentioned people will be notified via email or Twitter.” I think you need a new comments system.)

ask

Lilithcat – it was really bothersome to me as well – others suggested that you can find an X to eliminate that line and so far it has stayed off for me.

ask

Lilithcat – it was really bothersome to me as well – others suggested that you can find an X to eliminate that line and so far it has stayed off for me.

Kimmeister

Couldn’t post on my work computer, let’s try this at home . . .

I wouldn’t mind the green sash at all were it not weirdly interrupted by the black placket.

The green is probably a not-so-subtle shout-out to her burning desire to be Elphaba in Wicked. If you hear Tom randomly sing during an interview in the next couple of weeks, then she’s gunning for him to co-star as Fiyero.

Thank you, TLo, for bringing up the issue of aging men coloring their hair. Everybody can tell and it looks just awful.
Besides, there’s nothing sexier than a man who embraces the lines on his face and his salt n pepper hair with grace.
George Clooney, Richard Gere, Tim Robbins are all aging well and it can be argued that they’re hotter now than when they were 20-somethings.

Katie

It’s not just the hair color, the cut is unflattering and sloppy on him.

He’s growing his hair for a movie. He’s playing Stacee Jaxx in movie version of the Broadway show Rock of Ages. Actually, he said he’s not all that fond of it himself.

Emma Wallace

I thought the way you wrote it was very funny, but I was going to point out that the Simon Wiesenthal Center has a Annual National Tribute Dinner to honour various people and this year they are honouring Tom Cruise (as well as 3 other people). I looked it up because it an annual Tom Cruise dinner sounded very odd.

Emma Wallace

I thought the way you wrote it was very funny, but I was going to point out that the Simon Wiesenthal Center has a Annual National Tribute Dinner to honour various people and this year they are honouring Tom Cruise (as well as 3 other people). I looked it up because it an annual Tom Cruise dinner sounded very odd.

deslonrox

4/10 at best. Get a haircut, Cruise! As for Katie, I hate the dress, her hair… and her husband.

deslonrox

4/10 at best. Get a haircut, Cruise! As for Katie, I hate the dress, her hair… and her husband.

Wint3rhart

Her waist would look better, green stripe or no, if he would get his grubby mitts off of her for thirty seconds. It’s hardly a Tom & Katie photo; more like the combined entity Tom&Katie.

Wint3rhart

Her waist would look better, green stripe or no, if he would get his grubby mitts off of her for thirty seconds. It’s hardly a Tom & Katie photo; more like the combined entity Tom&Katie.

KT

THANKYOU! I totally don’t get it either.

Crystal Lil

she looks like she’s been on the mogadon – and who would blame her?

Crystal Lil

she looks like she’s been on the mogadon – and who would blame her?

Scott Hester-Johnson

Ah, another satisfied Just For Midgets hair colouring client. Nothing sadder than an old queen trying to look young.

Scott Hester-Johnson

Ah, another satisfied Just For Midgets hair colouring client. Nothing sadder than an old queen trying to look young.